Future plans a grey area

SUCH is Chautauqua’s appeal the VRC has marketed its winter racing under the banner of “Embrace The Grey” with pictures of the champion horse on billboards beginning today.

The big question is whether the grey horse with the astonishing finishing burst will be seen on racetracks again.

Co-trainer Wayne Hawkes said they were planning for it but they did not know whether he would ever race again.

Last autumn Chatauqua’s tilt at a fourth consecutive T.J. Smith Stakes ended when he decided not to jump out of the barriers on four occasions.

He refused to jump out of the stalls in two barrier trials at Randwick on February 27, then again on one barrier trial at Rosehill and then again at Cranbourne on March 19.

“It’s up to him,’’ Hawkes said. ‘‘It’s in his head. He either will or he won’t.

‘‘That’s it. If he doesn’t then that will be it for him.”